2022 NECHL SEASON PREVIEW: UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO

The University at Buffalo Division I ACHA men's hockey team is coached by Morgan vonHedemann, who is in his first official year as head coach. He assumed the role mid-season last year. VonHedemann said the Bulls were happy to make it to the NECHL semifinal matchup last season after battling some adversity last season, but now Buffalo is looking to have a "resurgent season" after a full summer of preparation.

QUICK HITS

Coaching Staff: 

Head Coach: Morgan vonHedemann (2nd year coaching, 1st year as head coach)

Assistant Coaches: Shelley Payne & William Stryker 

Captains:

C: Anthony Coty

A: Anthony Trigilio

2022 Record:

Overall: 5-16-1

NECHL: 15-0-18-2

New Players:

• Ryan Stoeckel
• Tyler Hagelberger
• Ian McKie
• Tanner Douglass
• Mason De Las Alas
• Jack Gallagher
• Danny Shalumov
• Brandon Stocker
• Eduard Dovgan
• Colby Fiegl
• Christopher Evans
• Joey Marasciulo
• Ryan Peterson
• Quinn Griffin
• Cole Belt
• Jackson Rajchel
• David Pawlowski
• Harrison Guigui

Key returners

• Anthony Coty
• Anthony Trigilio
• Anthony LoRe
• Matt Alletto

COACH'S CORNER

What were your immediate reaction/thoughts to how your team did in the 2021-22 season; what was the general takeaway moving into the offseason?

vonHedemann: "Our group -- everyone -- showed a lot of resilience last season. We played hard and that's what we are looking to continue this season. This year, we've had more time as a staff, so we are talking to the guys a lot about re-establishing our culture of excellence, on the ice as well as in the classroom.

What was your biggest task going into the offseason? What was the No. 1 goal heading into the 2022-23 season?

vonHedemann: "Creating an identity for our program going forward that builds our history. Bringing in players who buy into that philosophy was key. We want to be hard to play against every night and be a consistent team."

What's the team goal this year? Anything specific (outside of the obvious answers such as winning the league, etc.)?

vonHedeman: "As a team, we are looking to return to Nationals. To that end, we're just looking to get points out of every game and establish consistency. I want to be the toughest team to play against simply because we work the hardest."

Do you have any personal goals or does the coaching staff have any goals for the program this year?

vonHedeman: "We've talked a lot internally about setting the tone right away and creating accountability for the process. We will be a well-prepared team this season, and we have a strong leadership core coming back. We are also adding a lot of new players, so it's exciting and we're looking for some of those guys to have an immediate impact. As coaches, we just put the guys in the best position to excel, then it's up to them."

As a former player for the program as well, what are you hoping to institute in this "new era" of Bulls hockey?

vonHedeman: "As a former player, I was extremely fortunate to experience the culture of UB hockey first-hand. We had some very successful programs that were founded on hard work and strong morals. This experience allows me to embrace what it means to be a Bull and will allow me to pas it along to the next generation of players here."

FIRST SIGHTS OF ACTION

Buffalo gets right into the swing of things with NECHL action against Canisius College on Oct. 7-8. The first matchup is at the LECOM Harborcenter with Canisius serving as the home team, while the Bulls play host for the grudge match at the Northtown Center. After that, it's a weekend series against Robert Morris University (PA) on the road on Oct. 14-15.